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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Carson Palmer can appreciate Jared Goffs current predicament better than just about anybody.Palmer spent his entire first NFL season holding a clipboard and watching Jon Kitna lead the 2003 Cincinnati Bengals. The No. 1 draft pick out of Southern California couldnt get on the field even with a Heisman Trophy pedigree.Goff, the No. 1 pick in this years draft, will watch from the sidelines again when the Los Angeles Rams (2-1) visit Palmers Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and the veteran quarterback says thats not a bad spot for a young quarterback -- particularly with Goffs lack of experience in a pro-style offense.If youre not ready, its tough, Palmer said. If youre not ready and you get thrown in there, if you struggle, it can linger.Goff still hasnt taken a regular-season snap for the Rams, who are off to their best start in a decade -- admittedly not a high bar to clear for a team that hasnt made the playoffs since 2004.While several rookie quarterbacks around the league have already begun their careers, Los Angeles is taking a gradual approach with its top choice while Case Keenum runs the offense. Coach Jeff Fisher repeatedly has said the Rams have no timetable on Goffs development.Im happy for young quarterbacks when they have success, but we have our own sense of timing here with him, Fisher said.Palmer was 23 years old with four seasons of college experience during his rookie NFL season, while Goff only turns 22 next month after three years at California. Palmer sees the benefit in buying developmental time for a teams quarterback of the future when the team is doing well with its quarterback of the present.The Rams are different, Palmer said. Thats a very good team. They dont need to throw a rookie in there and (make) him learn on the run and the team suffer. Theyve got a veteran that has their team at the top of the division.The Rams have back-to-back wins, but their offense is the NFLs least productive -- the same spot it held last season -- and only scored its first touchdowns of the season last week at Tampa Bay. Keenums passer rating is 66.1, the NFLs second-lowest among regular players after the New York Jets Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw six interceptions last week.Meanwhile, Carson Wentz -- picked second last spring by Philadelphia -- is off to a roaring start as the Eagles starting quarterback. Dallas Dak Prescott, New Englands Jacoby Brissett and Clevelands Cody Kessler have all stepped on the field as rookies.None of it has budged the Rams on their plan to develop Goff with deliberation.The (rookie) quarterbacks are having success because of injuries, Fisher said. Had we not had the injuries that we did in the league, probably all four of those quarterbacks either would be inactive or backups.Fisher isnt wrong: Injuries to Teddy Bridgewater, Tony Romo, Jimmy Garoppolo, Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown -- and Tom Bradys suspension -- cleared a path for those rookie quarterbacks. Yet Wentz in particular has seized the opportunity provided to him, making Rams fans wonder when Goff will get the same chance.The Rams quickly realized Goff would need time to learn the intricacies of a pro-style offense after playing in Californias spread scheme. Keenum gets most of the practice time with the Rams first-string offense, leaving Goff to learn by observation and in film sessions.Palmer became the Bengals starter in 2004 and was one of the leagues top passers by 2005. Now a three-time Pro Bowler, the 36-year-old veteran is eager to see what the Cardinals division rivals do with their prize pick.You either throw the guy in there, or you let him sit back and rest, and only the coach can make that decision, Palmer said. The head coach makes the decision whats best for the team, and obviously he thinks its best for the team for Jared to sit and watch and learn.---AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL USA Soccer Store .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Custom USA Soccer Jerseys .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Cheap USA Soccer Jerseys . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. USA Soccer Shirts .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. For 12 monotonous rounds, light heavyweight contender Andre Ward toyed with the painfully slow and overmatched Alexander Brand en route to a shutout decision on Saturday night in a fight every bit the overwhelming mismatch most expected -- but at least it set up one of the most significant and fascinating fights in boxing.Ward, fighting before a hometown crowd of 8,653 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, won every second of the fight in a 120-108 rout on all three scorecards.It was the final step to a long-awaited showdown with unified light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev, whom he will meet Nov. 19 on HBO PPV, probably at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, in a fight that has been signed for months. However, Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) and Ward (30-0, 15 KO) had to successfully navigate interim bouts to seal the deal.In a Russian homecoming defense on July 11, Kovalev, 33, did his part as he retained his 175-pound world title for the eighth time. He scored a seventh-round knockdown and rolled to a one-sided unanimous decision against top-10 contender Isaac Chilemba.And then Ward, 32, the former super middleweight world champion in his second fight since making the move to 175 pounds, took apart Brand, who was as big of an underdog as has ever been seen. According to Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, Ward was a minus-10,000 favorite, meaning somebody would have to bet $10,000 on Ward to win just $100.The fighters purses also made it clear who was supposed to win. Ward made $850,000, and Brand made a measly $30,000, probably the lowest for an HBO-televised main event ever.Ward had his way with Brand, who got the fight only after at least three others turned it down. Ward poked him with hard jabs throughout the fight, confused him when he switched to southpaw in the fifth round and hurt him with right hands to the body.Brand (25-2, 19 KOs), in the meantime, did virtually nothing other than back up, grab, hold and look for a way to survive for 12 rounds.One of Wards stinging jabs opened a cut on Brands left eyelid in the seventh round. But before and after the cut Brand never showed any urgency. Ward, 32, at least appeared to be going for a knockout in the later rounds, but Brand,, 39, a former amateur standout from Colombia, has a reputation for having an excellent chin.ddddddddddddWe knew this guy was going to be really, really hard to knock out. Hes a veteran, said Ward, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist who was boxing on the day that the 2016 Olympic tournament began in Rio de Janeiro. People got to realize that when a guy with experience doesnt want to get knocked out, its hard, and hes throwing punches from crazy angles and has got nothing to lose. So I tried to press it. Didnt get it. But its good to get the rounds.According to CompuBox punch statistics, Ward landed ?190 of 490 blows (39 percent), and Brand landed only 45 of 285 (16 percent). Brand never had a round in which he landed double-digit punches, and he landed only two in the second and fourth rounds and just one of 20 punches in the 11th round.When the fight was over, Ward and Kovalev, who had watched at ringside, shook hands in the ring and formally announced their fight in an HBO interview with Max Kellerman.Im excited. Im looking forward to it, Ward said. I want to be the light heavyweight champion of the world. I had to get past this step. He had to get past his step. Ill see you in November.Said Kovalev when asked about the fight: Of course, Im ready. Hes ready. Im ready, too. I want to say lets do this Nov. 19.Ward, who was reluctant to speak about the Kovalev fight despite being asked about it constantly going into his tuneup match with Brand, showed immense respect for his next opponent.You got to respect Sergey for the way hes gotten to where hes got, Ward said. He hasnt had soft touches. He wasnt protected. And he wasnt really pushed by the media. Hes a guy who should get more credit than he has. The winner of the fight could possibly be pound-for-pound [No. 1].With Kovalev and Ward already top-five stalwarts on virtually every pound-for-pound list, many believe the winner of their toss-up showdown will earn recognition as the best fighter in the world, one of the reasons so many have been looking forward to it. The same could not be said for Ward-Brand. ' ' '